Rotary printing machines



June 2, 1-964 .1. HOLLOWS 3,

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 24, 1962 I 10 Sheets-Sheet l i v n a tit m v05 WENTOR: m

June 2, 1964 J. HOLLOWS ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 24, 1962 J'AGK HOLLOWE w ATTGRNEYJ June 2, 1964 J. HOLLOWS 3,135,194

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 24. 1962 v l0 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR:

TACK HOLL WS BY M ATTORNEYS June 2, 1964 Filed April 24, 1962 J. HOLLOWS ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES 1o Shets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR:

JACK HQLLOWS- June 2, 1964 J HQLLQWS 3,135,194

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 24. 1962 INVENTGR: LO 5 .4 nr TORNE )S JACK HBQL June 2, 1964 .1. HOLLOWS 3,135,194

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if I I v 7 1000 101 7a INVENTOR:

JACK q oLLows ATTORNEYS June 2, 1964 .1. HOLLOWS 3,135,194

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 24. 1962 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 -nc1a- 93 115- 92 fl 95a 80 INVENTOR:

HTT'ORNEVS June 2, 1964 o ows 3,135,194

ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES Filed April 24, 1962 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR;

JACK HOLLOWS 12V 8 June 2, 1964 J. HOLLOWS 7 3,135,194

ROTARYPRINTING MACHINES Filed April 24, 1962 10 Sheets-Shet 9 :4 JACK June 2, 1964 J. HOLLOWS ROTARY PRINTING MACHINES 10 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed April 24, 1962 JACK HOLFW 08% BY W ATTORNEYS 3,135,194 noranv rRiNrrNo MAcrmsns Jack Hollows, Blackpool, England, assignor. to Unit Tool & Engineering Company Limited, Blackpool, England, a British company 1 7 Filed Apr. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 139,787

' Claims priority, application Great Britain Nov. 25, 1961 .10 Claims. ((Il. 101-38) This invention relates to rotary printing machines of the kind adapted to print onto cylindrical articles or objects such as bottles, jars, containers and the like in a plurality of different colors and has for its object to provide an improved machine embodying an offset printing system and wherein automatic feeding of articles thereto for printing is facilitated and adjustment of the machine so as to print on articles of varying sizes is simplified.

Printing machine according to the present invention comprise a frame, an intermittently driven endless conveyor carried by said frame, rotary offset printing means disposed above the conveyor and adapted to print in one or a plurality of colors, a pair of rotary chucks for hold.

ing articles to be printed, and means for axially reciproeating at least one of said chucks so as to effect gripping and releasing'of articles located between same by the conveyor, and said conveyor comprising a pair of endless chains each of which, in its operative run, is supported by two channel section guides disposed end to end with the distal ends thereof being pivotally supported, and the adjoining inner ends of said guides being pivotally supported and vertically adjustable by a yoke piece mounted at the upper end of a screw operable through the medium of a screw-threaded knurled collar working on said jack and prevented from vertical displacement.

Cylindrical articles to be printed upon are moved by the conveyor intermittently into position below the printing roller in which'position they are each gripped by said chucks, printed with a plurality of colors in one revolution of said roller, and thereafter are released and moved therefrom. It will ofcoursebe understood that for each different diameter of article'to be printed, the distance between the respective axes of the offset printing roller and the rotary chucks (which hold the article while they are printed) needs to be varied, and further the intermittently driven conveyor needs to be re-aligned with the chucks.

In order further to avoid the necessity for effecting a multiplicity of separate adjustments, the machine is additionally characterised in that the chucks for gripping articles to be printed are together vertically displaceable by means of hand operable control mechanisms whereby said chucks and conveyor are adjustable readily to suit work pieces of differing diameters without, or substan tially so, the use of tools.

The invention is further described with the aid of the accompanying explanatory drawings which illustrate by way of example, one embodiment of same.

In said drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 1A together illustrate an elevation of one 'side of the machine, and

FIG. 2 is an elevation of the upper part of the other side thereof. V

FIG. 3 is an end elevation viewed in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation drawn to an enlarged scale as compared with the preceding views of the left hand' chuck (as viewed in FIG. 3) and the adjustment means therefor.

FIG. 5 is a section as on line V V of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional underneath plan view of the cooperating driven chuck and associated mechanism, the section being taken as on line VIVI of FIG. 7, and

FIG. 7 is a view in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 6.

FIGS. 8 and 9 together illustrate in part section, the hand operable mechanism for raising and lowering the chucks.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary elevation of the mechanism for raising and lowering the conveyor, and

FIG. 11 is a section as on line XIXI of FIG. 10.

and

FIG. 13 is a view in the direction of the arrow in C,

FIG. 10.

Referring now to said drawings, the machine comprises a main frame 1 in the upper part whereof, above a conveyor, generally designated 2, is mounted rotary-offset printing means comprising two rotatable cylinders 3, 4 each adapted to adjustably receive one or more curved stereotype plates, ink-fountains generally designated 5 for supplying in known manner variously colored inks to the appropriate stereotype plates as the cylinders 3, 4 are rotated, and a single offset printing or blanket roller 6 (hereinafter for convenience of description referred to as the printing. roller or roller) centrally positioned relatively of the stereotype cylinders 3, 4 so as to receive direct impressions from the plates thereof.

Co-axial chucks 7 and 8 (FIG. 3) for gripping articles tobe printed, are disposed below the printing roller 6.

' and are adjustable towards and away from said roller at the ends of two laterally spaced arms 9, 10, which are pivotally mounted on spindles 11, 12 (FIGS. 5 and 6) journalled in brackets 13, 14, bolted one at each side of the main frame 1. Said arms 9, 10 are adapted for simultaneous adjustment by means of two vertical leadscrews 15, 16 respectively engaged with nut components 17, 18 of shafts 19, 2d. Said shafts 19, 20 extend through bosses 91;, 10a of the arms 9, 16 and also through elongated apertures 13b, 14b of lugs 13a, 14a of brackets 13,

14. Hand operable clamp nuts 21, 22 are fitted on screwthreaded portions ofshafts 19, 20 whereby the arms 9, 10 may be locked in any required position of adjustment. The means for simultaneously operating the said lead screws 15, 16 consists of a cross shaft 23 (FIGS. 8 and 9) having a crank handle 23a and which is journalled in bearing blocks 24, 25' (associated with the main frame) and bearing brackets 24a, 25a connected by tie plates 26 Said shaft 23 has keyed thereto bevel pinions 23b, 230

respectively meshing with bevel gears 27, 28 keyed to vertical shafts 27a, 28a journalled in the said brackets 24a, 25a, and said shafts 27a, 28a are connected respectively to.

lead screws'15, 16 by clamp collars 15a, 16a. Thus, by.

turning the handle 23a both lead screws 15, 16 will be rotated to raise or lower, as required, the pivotal arms 9, 16) carrying the chucks 7 and 8. Independent adjustment ofthe lead screws 15, 16 may be effected when collars 15a, 16a are loosened.

The conveyor 2 for carrying articles to and from the printing position beneath the printing roller 6 comprises a pair of endless chains 30, 31 which pass around sprockets 32, 33 carried by shafts '34, 35 mounted crosswise one adjacent each end of the machine. At appropriate intervals sm'd chains 30, 31 are fitted with opposed V- shaped carrier elements 36 which co-operate in pairs to individually support and locate workpieces asx (FIG. 2) to be printed. Each of said conveyeor chains is supported in its upper operative run by two channel section guides37, 38 disposed end to end and the. distal ends whereof are pivotally attached as at 39 (FIG. 10)

tothe machines frame. The adjoining inner ends of guides 37, 3?: (see more especially FIGS. 111-12) are attached by screws 40 to brackets 41, 42 pivoted by bearings 43 on spindle 44 of a yoke piece or bearing bracket.-

45. Said bearing bracket 45 is connected to a lower bearing bracket 46 by means of a vertical screw-threaded jacking rod 47 and two guide bars 48, 48 which latter 7 Patented June 2, 1964 7 FIG. 12 is a section as on line XII-XII of FIG. 10,

are slidable in bearing apertures of a guide block 49. The guide block 49 is formed with a transverse slot 49a intersected by a passage 49b through which passes the screw jack 47. A knurled adjusting nut 50 formed with tommy bar holes 50a is arranged to work on said jack 47 within said slot 49a. Guide block 49 is slidably adjustable on a guide member disposed transversely of the machines longitudinal axis and provided with a guide slot 55a wherein works a stud 56 having a hand or bar operable nut 57 whereby said guide block 49 may be locked in any position of adjustment on the guide 55.

The bottom bearing bracket 46 carries a guide roller 61 mounted on a spindle 60 with bearings 62, and the lower run of the chain 30 (31) runs over said roller 61.

It is of course to be understood that the mechanism described above with reference to FIGS. l0-12 is provided in respect of each of said conveyor chains 30, 31.

Thus by manipulation of the adjusting nuts 50, the medial portion of the conveyor 2 can readily be raised or lowered so that the cylindrical work pieces x carried by the co-operating carrier elements 36 may be presented to the chucks 7, 8 with their axes in precise alignment with the axis of said chucks. By virtue of the lower roller guides 61 which are raised and lowered in unison with the upper brackets 45, the tension in the conveyor chains 30, 31 is maintained constant or substantially so irrespective of such adjustments.

The distance between the chains 30, 31 may also be adjusted to suit the axial dimensions of articles x to be printed by reason of the slidable adjustment provided for guide block 49 on transverse guide 55. The end sprockets 32, 33 carrying the chains 30, 31 are also adjustable along their shafts 34, 35.

In a preferred embodiment, one only of said endless chains of said conveyor is laterally adjustable, and similarly only one chuck 7 is laterally displaceable (as hereinafter described) in order to compensate for variations in the longitudinal dimensions of articles being printed.

The various parts of the machine are driven in timed relationship one with the other from an electromotor (FIG. 1A) and drive shaft 71 whereof carries a variable speed pulley 72 wherefrom is driven by a belt 73 the input shaft 74a of a reduction gear box '74. The output shaft 75 of the gear box 74 carries two duplex sprockets 76, 77 one of which, 77, is arranged to drive through chain 78 onto the conveyor 2 via a Geneva type start and stop mechanism 79. The shaft 6a of the printing roller 6 carries a duplex sprocket 80 drivenfrom the sprocket 76 of the output shaft of the gear box '74 by a chain drive 81 which is also guided around and drives a sprocket 82 associated with a face cam 83 for the purpose hereinafter described.

The sterotype drums 3, 4 each have associated therewith gears 3a, 4a, which mesh with a gear keyed to the shaft 6a of the printing roller 6 inwardly of the frame ofthe machine. Thus the peripheral speeds of the printing roller 6, and the sterotype carrying drums 3, 4 are positively matched. The ink feed and spreading rollers of the various ink fountain 5 are driven via pinions 5a (FIGS. 1 and 2) from the gears 3a, 4a of the drums 3, 4 in more or less conventional fashion.

The chuck 8 is driven from the gear Wheel 90 of printing roller 6 by means of an interchangeable gear wheel 91 keyed to the chuck shaft 92. The interchangeable gear 91 is matched to the diameter of articles to be printed so that the peripheral speed of an article will be the same as that of the printing roller 6 from which impressions are to be received. The said chuck shaft 92 is journalle'd in bearings 93, 94, of a bearing housing 95 carried at the end of the pivotal arm 10 hereinbefore described.

The chuck 7 is carried by an arbor slidably engaged within one end of a sleeve 101 which latter is adjustably located by a split collar 102a in a bearing sleeve 102. The sleeve 102 is located and freely rotatable within bearings 103, 104 of a bearing housing 105 carried by the pivotal arm 9. Also engaged and adjustable within sleeve 101 by co-operating screw-threads is an inner sleeve 106 with lock nut 106a, and between the inner ends of sleeve 106 and arbor 100 is a helical compression spring 107 which biases said arbor outwardly. Axial movement of the arbor within sleeve 101 is limited by means of a pin 109 of said arbor which works in an axial slot 101a of the sleeve 101. Thus the chuck 7 is spring influenced axially and freely rotatable with a workpiece when the latter is pressed into engagement with same. Further, both the arbor 100 and sleeve 106 have through bores 100a, 1061) which are connected in an airtight manner by a tube 110, and the passage formed by said bores constitutes a means whereby pressurized air or other gas may beintroduced into flexible articles (as e.g. plastic containers) gripped by the chucks 7 and 8 and which require internal support while being printed. Sleeve 106 has an internally screwthreaded end 1060 for the attachment of a rotary union of an air line. Pressure air can be supplied from any convenient source through provided valve means adapted in any convenient manner to be actuated in timed relationship with the printing operation, as for example in association with the hereinafter described cam actuated move ment of the chuck 8. Preferably, an adjustable reducing valve is provided for controlling the pressure of air supplied to articles being printed. The chuck 7 is provided With a conical face 7a for entering the aperture or neck of an article to be pressurized.

Referring now to the chuck 8, see more particularly FIGS. 6 and 7, the shaft 92 thereof is axially slidable within bearing sleeves 95a, 95a-being located between said sleeves by a pin which extends diametrically through said shaft. This permitted movement is necessary in order that the chuck 8 may be moved into and out of operative engagement with the end of an article aligned therewith by the elements 36 of the conveyor 2. Advancement and retraction of the chuck 8 is effected autoinatically by means of a forked rocker arm pivoted on a spindle 121 carried by a bracket 121a mounted by a bolt 121b on-the arm 10, and the ends 120a of said rocker arm 120 are pivotally engaged with the housing 122 of a thrust bearing 123 which is mounted on a collar124 threaded onto a screw-threaded extension 92a of the shaft 92 and held in place by a retaining collar and nut 125, 125a also screwed onto shaft portion 92a. Said bearing housing 122 has a flange 122a which is slotted to receive a stop pin 126 of the end cap 95b of bearing housing 95. Also disposed between the flange 122a of bearing housing 122 and bearing end cap 95b are a number of circularly arranged compression spring 127 which bias said housing 122 away from housing 95 and thereby urge the chuck 8 to retracted position. The other end of lever 120 carries a follower roller 130 which is in operative engagement with the before referred to face cam 93 carried by the duplex chain wheel or sprocket 82 and which is driven by the chain drive 81. Said sprocket 82 and cam 83 are mounted on an extension 12a of spindle 12 by means of bearings 132, 133.

The cam 83 is so contoured and its angular velocity such that the chuck 8 is moved into operative position each time an article is correctly aligned by the conveyor 2 below the printing roller and is maintained in such position while the printing operation is carried out. The conveyor 2 also is arranged by means of its Geneva mechanism 79, to be stationary for the time required by the printing operation, i.e. during one revolution of the printing roller 6. Chuck 8 usually is formed with a dished face 8a with coniform walls whereby one end of a cylindrical article may be embraced and centralised and rotation of the chuck be frictionally transmitted thereto when the article is pressed into engagement with the co-operating resiliently mounted chuck 7.

Both chucks are of course detachable as shown in order that they may be replaced as required to suit different types of articles to be printed.

To prevent axial displacement of articles x carried by the conveyor elements 36, rails 154? are provided at each side of the conveyor and are carried by links 151 adjustably pivoted at 152, 153 whereby said rails may be raised or lowered and laterally displaced according to the size of the articles being printed.

Any suitable means may be employed to feed articles onto the machines conveyor and to receive same from the discharge end and such means, if of automatic type, may be timed from the conveyor.

It will be seen from the foregoing description, that a rotary printing machine according to the invention will automatically print upon cylindrical articles in one or a plurality of colors and that the machine can quickly and easily be set up to print upon articles of any particular size, within limits, without the aid of special tools. Further, its method of operation is particularly suited to its interpolation in existing conveying systems.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rotary printing machine for the purpose specified comprising a frame, an intermittently driven endless conveyor carried by said frame, rotary offset printing means positioned above said conveyor and adapted to print in one or a plurality of colors, a pair of rotatable chucks positioned between said conveyor and said offset printing means for holding articles to be printed, and means for axially reciprocating at least one of said chucks for gripping and releasing articles located between said chucks by said conveyor, and said conveyor comprising a pair of endless chains, two pair of channel section guides with each pair slideably supporting one of said endless chains and being positioned in end to end relationship with the distal ends thereof being pivotally supported, and a yoke piece pivotally supporting the adjoining inner ends of each of said guides, a plurality of screw jacks each having one of said yoke pieces mounted thereon for being vertically displaced thereby, a plurality of screw threaded knurled collars each in threaded engagement with one of said jacks for operating the same, and means for preventing vertical displacement of each of said yoke pieces when desired.

2.A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of guide blocks each have a transverse slot with one of said knurled collars located therein, and said transverse slot is intersected by a passage wherein is located the respective screw jack, and a transverse frame member of the machine has said guide blocks mounted therein.

3. A rotary printing machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein a plurality of guide blocks each have a transverse slot with one of said knurled collars located therein, and

i said transverse slot is intersected by a passage wherein is located the respective screw jack, a transverse frame member of the machine has said guide blocks mounted therein, at least one of said guide blocks is adjustably mounted on said transverse frame member in order to provide for adjustment in the distance between said conveyor chains.

4. A rotary printing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of rollers are each connected to one of said yoke pieces and engage the return run of said conveyor, and said rollers are arranged to rise and fall in unison with said yoke pieces whereby tension in the conveyor chain remains constant in vertical adjustment of said conveyors medial portion.

5. A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein rails are provided at each side of said conveyor for preventing lateral movement of articles on said conveyor.

6. A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein rails are provided at each side of said conveyor for preventing lateral movement of articles on said conveyor and means are provided for varying the height of said guide rails.

7. A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein a rocker arm has one end connected to said axially reciprocable chuck, and a face cam driven in timed relationship with said printing roller and said conveyor of the machine,'has the other end of said rocker arm in engagement therewith for reciprocating said chuck.

8. A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the other of said chucks is axially adjustable to compensate for articles of different length and is spring loaded providing a resilient gripping of articles between said chucks.

9. A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the other of said chucks is axially adjustable to compensate for articles of dilferent length and is spring loaded providing a resilient gripping of articles between said chucks, an arbor has said spring influenced chuck mounted thereon and a through bore whereby pressurized air can be introduced to the interior of an article between said chucks during printing.

1(). A rotary printing machine, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the other of said chucks is axially adjustable to compensate for articles of different length and is spring loaded providing a resilient gripping of articles between said chucks, an arbor has said spring influenced chuck mounted thereon and a through bore whereby pressurized air can be introduced to the interior of an article between said chucks during printing and means are provided for controlling the admittance of air to an article operatively connected to said axially reciprocable chuck for being timed in relation to the printing operation of the machine.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,085,126 Shurley et a1 June 29, 1937 2,088,196 Friden July 27, 1937 2,113,576 Denelsbeck Apr. 12, 1938 2,535,111 Wishart Dec. 26, 1950 2,540,554- Shurley H Feb. 6, 1951 2,625,099 Cookson Jan. 13, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 639,934 Germany Dec. 17, 193% 

1. A ROTARY PRINTING MACHINE FOR THE PURPOSE SPECIFIED COMPRISING A FRAME, AN INTERMITTENTLY DRIVEN ENDLESS CONVEYOR CARRIED BY SAID FRAME, ROTARY OFFSET PRINTING MEANS POSITIONED ABOVE SAID CONVEYOR AND ADAPTED TO PRINT IN ONE OR A PLURALITY OF COLORS, A PAIR OF ROTATABLE CHUCKS POSITIONED BETWEEN SAID CONVEYOR AND SAID OFFSET PRINTING MEANS FOR HOLDING ARTICLES TO BE PRINTED, AND MEANS FOR AXIALLY RECIPROCATING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID CHUCKS FOR GRIPPING AND RELEASING ARTICLES LOCATED BETWEEN SAID CHUCKS BY SAID CONVEYOR, AND SAID CONVEYOR COMPRISING A PAIR OF ENDLESS CHAINS, TWO PAIR OF CHANNEL SECTION GUIDES WITH EACH PAIR SLIDEABLY SUPPORTING ONE OF SAID ENDLESS CHAINS AND BEING POSITIONED IN END TO END RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DISTAL ENDS THEREOF BEING PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED, AND A YOKE PIECE PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE ADJOINING INNER ENDS OF EACH OF SAID GUIDES, A PLURALITY OF SCREW JACKS EACH HAVING ONE OF SAID YOKE PIECES MOUNTED THEREON FOR BEING VERTICALLY DISPLACED THEREBY, A PLURALITY OF SCREW THREADED KNURLED COLLARS EACH IN THREADED ENGAGEMENT WITH ONE OF SAID JACKS FOR OPERATING THE SAME, AND MEANS FOR PREVENTING VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT OF EACH OF SAID YOKE PIECES WHEN DESIRED. 